Did you know, in Australia, there are laws around customer information and as business owners, you may be required under the Privacy Act 1988 to protect and secure your customer’s personal information?

Even if you’re not required to comply, it’s still important to handle your customers' data appropriately with care and to protect your business from cyber crime.

For Data Privacy Week, we have compiled a list of tips to help your business achieve a layered approach of protection to avoid any possible data breach or data misuse:

☑️ Ensure you’ve installed strong firewalls: A security measure that allows a device to connect to the internet while blocking any unwanted or malicious connections.

☑️ Manage your passwords appropriately: Passwords should be long, unique and contain different types of characters and be updated regularly.  There are many software programs available to help here.

☑️ Conduct internal control audits: Consider who has access to your system and the amount of access they have. Be sure to update access if an employee leaves or moves to another department.

☑️ Enable Multi Factor Authentication: Mandatory for many software applications, you should be set up MFA wherever possible.

☑️ Utilise Spam Filters: Reduce the number of spam and phishing emails using filters, but always stay vigilant and never click on a link in a suspect email and always confirm requests for payment with another method such as a phone call.

☑️ Software updates: Update your operating system and software often as it’s important to update what you have with the latest protection.

☑️ Backup your data: Regular backups are critical to ensure the smooth running of your business in the event of a system failure or data breach.

Business.gov.au has a significant amount of resources, tips, and important notices available on their website. We highly recommend all business owners and even individual users to read on here:  https://business.gov.au/online/cyber-security

The information provided in this article is general in nature and does not take into account any person or entity's particular financial situation or needs. Please contact us for advice specific to your circumstances.

This information is current at the time of publication and further updates may have occurred since that date.